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Old-school virus threatens Delphi files

Induc-A virus induces a headache

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Updated Virus writers have gone old school with the creation of a virus that infects Delphi files as they are built.

When a Delphi file infected with Induc-A virus is run, it searches for Delphi programming installations on an infected machine and attempts to infect this installation. More specifically, the malware attempts to infect SysConst.pas, which it then compiles to SysConst.dcu. Once this process is completed the SysConst.dcu file is programmed to add the Induc-A virus to every new Delphi file that gets compiled on the system.

A full write-up of the malware, including a screenshot depicting strings of infected code, can be found here.

Even the vast majority of computer users that aren't Delphi developers can be affected by running programs written in Delphi that happen to have been contaminated.

Up until Tuesday afternoon the labs at Sophos have received more than 3,000 infected files, submitted by users who have found infections. "This makes us believe that the malware has been active for some time, and that a number of software houses specialising in developing applications with Delphi must have been infected," writes Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

Examples of infections have included applications described as "a tool for downloading configuration files onto GSM modules" and "a compiler interface that operates between our third-party design software and our CNC woodworking machinery".

Delphi is used to quickly develop Windows applications. Some of the infected files are banking Trojans written in Delphi - so some hackers are among those hit by the virus.